OPERAs

Project Overview

OPERAs (Operational Potential of Ecosystem Research Applications) ran from 2012 - 2017, uniting researchers and practitioners across 27 global organisations, to provide stakeholders with user-friendly tools to help them implement their research findings in support of sustainable ecosystem management. 

The Challenge

Thinking in terms of ecosystem services and natural capital explicitly acknowledges our dependence on nature, and therefore the need to better protect and manage natural resources. For this reason these concepts have been adopted by policy, but the use of the concepts in practice is still in its infancy. The OPERAs project explored how and under what conditions these concepts can move beyond the academic domain towards practical implementation in support of sustainable ecosystem management.

Objectives

This project aimed to improve understanding of how ES/NC contribute to human well-being in different social-ecological systems in inland and coastal zones, in rural and urban areas, related to different ecosystems including forests and freshwater resources. The OPERAs research established whether, how, and under what conditions the ES/NC concepts can move beyond the academic domain towards practical implementation in support of sustainable ecosystem management. OPERAs used a meta-analysis (systematic review) of existing ES/NC practice to identify knowledge gaps and requirements for new policy options and instruments.